Mad Dog
by TheMenace3117
Summary: Knuckles moves away to be alone, until an unexpected visit from his presumed dead girlfriend changes that. He realizes too late he's being used for sinister purposes, and it's up to him to stop the eccentric conman Angel.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, I'm back with another fic. This one centers on Knuckles the Echidna and his past life catching up with the present. Please Review and let me know what you think!**

 _Chapter One: Finding Him_

Julie-Su, the 24 year old former girlfriend of Knuckles the Echidna, makes her way to her countess' chamber. As each step echoes throughout the dark, lantern-lit corridors, Julie can't help but think of how far she's come since the accident that split her from Knuckles. She used to be scared, weak and relied on her boyfriends' protection.

Now her abilities transcend self defence. She specializes in hurting people,

and she likes it.

6 years have passed since they were split up and Knuckles never stopped looking for her, the only girl he's ever loved. He traveled the world, both alone and with others, desperately searching for Julie. He believed in his heart she was still out there,

and he was right.

Alive but still injured, Julie-Su wound up in the care of Serena, the leader of a cult-like following that operated along the eastern shores. Unaware of how she got there, Julie-Su moved on with her new life, having completely forgotten Knuckles and the past life she shared with him.

Today she sat across from Serena and her half-brother Angel in a dark but luminous chamber, waiting for orders as she usually does.

Serena picked up a photo and showed it off "Do you know this guy?"

Julie looked closely at the youthful echidna for a moment

"…no"

Angel put his glass of vodka down and scanned her face

"She's telling the truth"

"Good. There's a younger echidna boy out there named Abbott-Jak. We need him to come back here, Julie, This other individual, Knuckles, he knows how to get ahold of Jak and I need you to use him to bring the kid here. Can you do that?"

Without hesitation Julie answered "Yes, Countess"

Angel cut in "And when you've got the kid, kill Knuckles and ditch his body"

Julie-Su took a moment to process this request

"...understood"

"Great. Off you go then. If you need anything, call my lovely brother here and he'll get you whatever you need"

Julie got out of her seat and walked out of Serena's chamber, knowing this assignment would take her all week, maybe longer, to complete.

Once she knew Julie was gone, Serena looked at the photo of Knuckles and Angel scanned her face

"She's gonna remember him, sis. And once she does, she won't kill him"

"She won't remember a thing. I made sure of that. Just make sure she stays in line, brother"

* * *

Down in Central Metropolis, Knuckles had lost his job at a steel mill after his arrest during the fight against the city's local crime boss, Predator Hawk. He, Tails, Manic and Amy took down Hawk's syndicate, Hazard, but after that, Knux was back to slumming in the gutter. His bank account was running low and he desperately needed a beer, especially in broke times like this.

After speaking to some new friends he met through Manic, Knuckles found himself brawling in underground fight clubs for money. It wasn't the dream job he wanted after high school, but it certainly pays the bills. The more fights he won, the bigger the paycheck.

And if there was one thing Knuckles was good at, it was fighting.

Inside a makeshift steel cage, Knuckles knocks down an opponent and spits out blood as he squares up

"C'mon man, get up! Let's see some of those moves you were talking about!"

The skinny fighter rose to his feet only to recieve a lightning fast uppercut punch to the face and a One-Two punch combo which promptly knocked him out. Knuckles stood over his defeated opponent and the small group of spectators roared with approval.

 **Round of applause for these no-name bastards, everyone!**

Knuckles glared up at the loud mouth with the megaphone. He ran the illegal operation, sure, but he had no business talking about anybody like that.

Especially since he saved this city from Hazard only a few months ago.

 _I'd kill for a chance to have you in the cage for 1 minute, Matty,_ Knuckles thought ... _just keep talking_...

After collecting his pay (Hundred and twenty dollar bills) Knuckles left the parking garage and made his way home. He waved to the locals who smoked joints in the garage and passed the prostitutes without saying a word.

Everyone knew to just leave him alone by this point.

The walk back wasn't long which was convenient, and street lights were turning on by the time he reached the three storey apartment building he called home. His 'work schedule' was definitely on stranger hours than anyone else in his neighbourhood.

As he enters the building, a female hedgehog with dyed blue hair greets him on the staircase. She is simply called Valentine, only has to be 18 years old but she knows how to take care of herself. Valentine is definitely Knuckles' favourite neighbour because of her friendly and outgoing personality.

"How are ya tonight, Val" Knuckles greets as he walks up the stairs

"Hey Knux! Some chick with pink dreadlocks was looking for you earlier" Valentine calls out

Knuckles pulled out his apartment key "Really? That's new… thanks for the heads up, Val"

She waved to him and he got inside his $750 a month apartment. The place was basically giant brick walls with maybe two pieces of furniture and a washroom. The lights took 10 seconds to come on after he flipped the switch, a testament to how good the electrical wiring was in this place. After opening a can of White Ox Beer, Knuckles lounged back in his black leather reclining chair and turned on his 1990's style radio. He took off his spiked gloves and looked at his bloody knuckles for a moment, then went back to relaxing.

 _I hit that that sucker pretty hard. Hope Jimmy doesn't have any hard feelings_

Drinking beer and listening to music he hated every night wasn't the life he fought so hard to attain, but he knew things could be a hell of a lot worse for him, so he moved on from that thought and pretended to enjoy the music.

As he sipped on the alcohol, a few light taps on his balcony door got his attention. He always kept the doors locked and by now everyone who lived here knew Knuckles is the first to jump into a fight, so they wouldn't mess with him,

at least that was the understanding.

He found it odd that someone would climb onto his balcony and knock at this door rather than the front door.

 _Better not be those punk asses from down the alley…_

Knuckles threw the beer down and opened the door quickly "Who's out here?"

He stopped talking when his eyes met hers. She looked no different than the day they were split up in the accident. Her pink dreadlocks were far more kept together than his at the moment due to him just fighting 3 guys in the cage, so he was slightly embarrassed to be seen like this, but he couldn't fully concentrate on how he looked. He was staring at the girl he loved who was taken away from him all those years ago.

"Jules? That you?" his voice trembled

"Hey there. I was just passing through town and a mutual friend told me where to find you" Julie replied, keeping up her act

Knuckles needed to touch her, to confirm this was real, that _she_ was real. He stepped in closer, causing Julie to jump back defensively. She was so used to men wanting to hurt her that Knuckles's hug came as a surprise. He held her close for a moment, doing his best to hold back his emotions and look sensitive in front of his girlfriend whom he thought was dead.

"I never stopped looking for you, Jules.. I knew you were still alive, and I knew that was you on the news a couple months ago-"

He felt himself choking up so he took a moment to clear his throat, while still embracing Julie

"...I'm so glad you're back"

The female echidna found herself without anything to say. She had no clue who this guy hugging her was, but his words stayed with her for the rest of the night.

He brought her inside, feeling more ashamed of his shitty apartment than he usually did, but he had to show her everything. The photo album, the love letters, the engagement rings, all of it. Yet, even as Knuckles showed her all the photos of them together, displaying them as lovers, Julie didn't believe a word of it. She couldn't picture herself loving _anyone_ , let alone some backstreet brawler. All she knew was she had a job to do and she can't let emotions get in the way.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two: AJ_

Angel stands on the ledge of a tall building, once used as a storage facility, and uses binoculars to watch Julie and Knuckles inside his apartment. The glass doors are wide open, giving the Dark Red Hedgehog a perfect vantage point to spy on them.

One of his henchmen walks up behind him "Boss, we've got movement from the third party"

Angel doesn't look away from the apartment "Great, round up the boys 'n girls, and let's go take a look"

Inside Knuckles' place, Julie's phone rings and she reads a text

 **Whatever he tells you, don't believe a word of it. Stay on the mission.**

 **-Serena**

The pink echidna puts her phone away and promptly interrupts Knuckles

"I'm going being honest with you, Knuckles, I don't remember a thing about you or us being together. Everything is just a blur to me"

Knuckles looks at her for a moment "...Well, what do you remember?"

"Waking up in a bed of haystacks in some place halfway around the world. I remember being injured and unable to walk. The so called ' _Men_ ' in this army beat us daily - until I was saved"

She stops speaking, almost revealing her leaders's name. Knuckles sees that she's clearly uncomfortable so he puts the photo album away and sits down on his reclining chair.

The apartment goes silent for a moment before Julie speaks

"I have to be honest with you, Knuckles... I'm supposed to find a kid who lives here, a relative of mine. I have to bring him back to Angel Island. Trouble is, he's hiding out and nobody can find him. I was hoping you could help me track him down"

Thinking this could help jog her memory, Knuckles agrees to help "Yeah, definitely. I know some guys from the force who could lend a hand. They'd be able to track this guy down. What's his name?"

"Abbott-Jak. He's a little younger than us, probably still in high school. He's been missing and we need him to come back to Angel Island" she lies

"Huh, you never mentioned him before. Is he your Uncle Oliver's kid?"

Julie doesn't know what to say, she just looks out the window

"Oh - kay, we can go over that later. Let me call up my pals and then we can meet up with them"

Julie thinks for a moment "Who are your friends, if you don't mind me asking?"

Knuckles grins at this "You used to be good friends with them a long time ago; Vector and Espio"

On the west side of Metropolis, a young echidna in baggy clothes and a blue bandana jumps out of a 2nd story window and rolls as he hits the ground. Two teenagers from a rival street gang are running away from a house invasion attempt.

"AJ! Get those fucking snakes!"

"They ain't getting away this time, Sulu!" The echidna kid shouts

He jumps fences and runs through backyards as he cuts off the thugs. He uses an alleyway to get ahead and tackles both rival gangsters to the ground.

They try to get away but the echidna pulls out a metal pipe and beats them with it, keeping them down as they scream out in pain

"You like robbing us, huh?! You think you can just take our shit and get away with it?! Well, what now, you pricks, WHAT NOW?!"

AJ is so busy beating his rivals that he doesn't hear the police jump out of their cruisers and run up behind him. He gets a nightstick whacked off his head and three more cops hold him down as the main officer handcuffs the echidna.

"You idiot gang bangers never learn, huh. We're the law, not you!" The arresting officer shouts

The two thugs start to stand up, bleeding from AJ's beating

"Get outta here, ya punks!" The second cop orders

"Yeah, and don't let us catch you out here again!" The third cop adds

The police officers lift AJ and shove him into the backseat of their cruiser and drive back to the local precinct.

"You guys are REAL tough, suckering me from behind with a stick!" AJ shouts at the cage that separates him from the cops

"Oh yeah, we're definitely not as tough as you, kid. Picking on 14 year old punks. We're the bad guys, right" the cop driving answers

"They robbed my fucking house!"

"And I assume you have substantial proof to back this claim, right"

"Yeah, their blood on my shoes and fists!"

"Ah, shut up kid! You're going to jail anyway"

"I'd love to see you pull over and make me shut up, pig..." AJ says under his breath

"What'd you say?!"

"I said pull this red, white and Blue piece of shit car over and see if you can shut me up, you stupid pig!"

"Keep it up, man. Everything you say is being recorded, I'm sure the judge will love this on court day"

"Whatever, pussy. You can't do nothing without that nightstick and that gun so just take me to jail"

* * *

An hour later, Knuckles and Julie meet Vector and Espio at a downtown park. Knuckles introduces them to Julie but she doesn't care much to get acquainted.

She speaks with Vector, since he's the detective and can use the police equipment. Knuckles and Espio stand a few feet away and talk

"She says she don't remember nothing, man. Can you believe that? Not a single thing!... she comes back after 6 years, just to disappear again" Knuckles says

"I don't get a good vibe off her" Espio replies, staring at the pink echidna

Knuckles flinches, as if he got stung "Well, you didn't get a good vibe off Rouge but she turned out alright"

"She stole 10 grand off you and had us beaten up during the search"

Before Knuckles could answer Espio, Julie and Vector came back to them

"Alright, I found your guy. Abbott-Jak Toomes. Real piece of work, this kid. High school track and field star but he dropped out in his senior year. Been affiliated with a street gang called The Tresspassers. Employers love seeing that on a resume. According to police records he was picked up about an hour ago for assault" Vector turns to Julie "You sure this is the idiot you came back here to find?"

"Yes, that idiot is the one. Can you bring us to his cell?" Julie asks

"I think so, given that you're his relative. But Knuckles won't be able to come in because he's not related or anything. Sorry pal"

"Whatever, man. Let's just get this over with"

"Alright, follow me"

Vector takes Julie inside the precinct while Knuckles stays outside with Espio.

After about 15 minutes, Julie comes outside and Knuckles is surprised to see Abbott-Jak walking behind her. Espio walks inside the station while AJ glares at him as he passes by.

AJ turns to Knucckles and looks him up and down "Who are you supposed to be, my old man? Piss off"

Knuckles looks at Julie "Why'd you bail out this punk?"

"Yeah, that's a good question. What's your deal, lady?"

Julie stops and looks at them both "I'm your relative, Abbott-"

"AJ is fine, thanks"

"Don't like your birth name, huh?" Knuckles asks in a strained tone

"Well, I like it about as much as I like you, old man" AJ says, standing face to face with Knuckles even though he is much taller

"Old man? I'm barely 25, dip shit!"

"Okay, tough guys, can you let me finish?"

During the argument, a Silver Minivan speeds around the corner and the driver honks the horn, getting everyone's attention

"There's that _**PC Rat**_ AJ!" The passenger yells

"PC?" Knuckles asks

"It means Protective Custody"

"I know what it means, I just didn't know he was a rat"

"Fuck off, Knuckles" AJ turns to the minivan "Ay, I didn't rat on nobody! I just got out, dumbass!"

"Yeah, we saw you talking to those cops earlier, bud! Y'know what happens to rats?"

The teenager looks at Knuckles and Julie "You guys should go. It's about to get ugly"

"These guys are gonna do something? Ha!" Knuckles remarked

Before either side could react, Julie pushed through the crowd of onlookers and ripped the passenger out of the van, then punched the driver in the face three times.

"Holy shit" Knuckles and AJ say in unison

Julie picks up the teenager and throws him back inside "I wasn't finished talking to AJ here so whatever your beef is, I suggest you wait til after I'm done. Got it?"

Both gang members nod and the minivan takes off into the backstreets. The pink echidna walks back to her friends and together they get out of the area before police can stop them.

The trio get about 8 blocks from the police station when AJ stops them "Okay, someone better tell me what the hell is happening here! Who are you?"

"I'm Julie-Su, this is Knuckles. I'm supposed to take you back to Angel Island to see your family. Is that enough?"

"Not really! I'm supposed to believe my family, who stopped talking to me years ago, just NOW wants me to come home? Hell nah! I only have one family now, and they wouldn't turn there backs on me"

Knuckles looks at him "What, that street gang? You think that's a family? Kid, all you are to them is a hired thug who gets them rich. You do jail time for them, maybe even take a bullet, but they don't give a shit about you, AJ"

"Yeah? What would you know about family, asshole?! Last I heard, you left yours when that blue hedgehog died! Then you came up here to be a drunken loser who fights for money!"

It takes Knuckles everything in him not to swing at the teenager, mostly because he is right.

"You aren't the only one who knows some shit, pal. I'm just a kid compared to you guys, but I know what's going on. And trust me, I never turned my back on my family..."

Knowing he can't jog her memory, and she doesn't intent on staying, Knuckles looks at Julie as he leaves "I hope this trip was worth it, Jules. You know where I live. I'll see you around..."

The pink echidna wants to say something, but ultimately nothing comes out. Knuckles is gone within a minute, so she turns back to AJ.

"Look, thanks for bailing me out, Julie... but I got bigger problems to worry about than some old folks on the Island who wanna see me"

"Yeah, about that-"

Julie knocks AJ out with one quick punch and lowers him to the ground. She pulls out her cellphone and calls Angel

"Yeah, I got him" she says

"But you let Knuckles get away"

"He isn't part of the mission"

"I did, however, order you to kill him, to which you agreed"

Julie looks around for a moment "Well, he's gone. Look, Serena just wants Abbott-Jak, right? I've got him. Where do I take him?"

Angel sighs "There's an old bus terminal on the south east side. Head there and my men will pick you up"

"And Knuckles?"

"He's no longer your concern. Call me when you reach the terminal"

Angel hangs up and Julie leans against a brick wall. AJ lays on the sidewalk next to her so she drags him into an alleyway.

Knuckles waves to Valentine as he enters his apartment building and walks upstairs.

"Everything alright, Knux?" She asks

"Well, nothing that can't be fixed with some beer. How are you?"

"Ah, y'know, same old shit. Bobby's been talking about getting engaged but he still doesn't have a job so that probably won't happen for awhile. Other than that, everything's cool" Valentine replies

"Tell him to come join me at the fight pits sometime, he can make a lot of cash - if he's good" Knuckles offers

"No way, Bobby can't take a punch like you can! He ain't built like that"

Knuckles laughs, then unlocks his door "Well, I'll let you know if any jobs come up"

"Goodnight Knux"

The echidna walks inside and shuts the door behind him. As the lights come on he opens his fridge and grabs a can of White Ox. He flips on his radio and sits down, suddenly his attention is shifted to his wide-open photo album

 _Pretty god damn sure I closed this..._

An audible _**CREEK**_ is barely heard from the outside balcony, prompting Knuckles to stand up

"Jules, you don't have to use my balcony door, you can walk through the front-"

A sledgehammer smashes through the glass door and whacks Knuckles in the chest. He flies backwards while a masked figure breaks through the balcony door and walks inside.

The glass shards break apart as the figure steps around, while Knuckles grasps his chest tightly. He dodges out of the way just as the hammer is swung down at his head, narrowly missing.

Knuckles jumps to his feet and rips the mask off the figure as he pulls the hammer out of the floorboards. They push away from each other and take a moment to look the other in the eye

Knuckles recognizes his attacker as Jim Bag, the fighter he beat up at the fight club earlier tonight

"Jimmy, you're taking contracts, now?" Knuckles asks

"For this amount of money, Yeah" Jim Bag answers with a slight chuckle

"The fight club never really was your thing, I mean you can't take a punch for shit, man"

"See, it's THAT attitude that got a contract put out on you"

"I don't suppose you could tell me who put it out, now could you?" Knuckles asks

"No, I couldn't. Listen, I've got a date with a pretty girl from Sega World Centre, so let's move this along"

"I'm on your schedule, Jimmy"

Jim Bag takes a swing with the sledgehammer while Knuckles sizes him up and gets ready to counter.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three: Rebound_

The sledgehammer is swung around angrily, however Knuckles' instincts and Boxing training help him time the attacks and dodge at the right moment. Jim Bag grows angrier as he misses each shot, something Knuckles uses to his advantage.

The Echidna ducks and quickly rises with a powerful uppercut punch that hits Jim's chin perfectly. The attacker is lifted off the ground and falls on his back because of the power of this punch. Knuckles kicks the sledgehammer away and waits for Jim to get up.

"That's a rookie mistake; gettin' angry in a fight and losing control. Didn't they teach you that in boxing class?" Knuckles asks

Jim slowly gets to one knee "...I took karate in high school, dickhead"

"Really? I'd love to see a demonstration, _sensei_ "

"Comin' right up"

Before they engage, Knuckles' front door is kicked open and Julie runs in. She pulls the Echidna to the floor and ducks down, a quick burst of bullets are shot from across the street and tear through the apartment. The shooting only last about 1 minute before the shooter runs out of ammo and takes off.

Julie stands up and looks across the street for a sign while Knuckles leans down next to Jim Bag, coughing up blood and shaking violently.

Jim looks up "Guess my date is getting stood up, tonight (cough) ...look at that: I came here to kill you and I end up getting shot..karma, ain't that right"

"I'd go with Irony, pal" Knuckles responds "Can you tell me who put you up to this? Who sent you out here, Jimmy?"

The attacker takes a long, raspy inhale before speaking "... didn't get a name but this guy said he worked with _**Maggie Bloodmoon**_ ...that's all I know"

Knuckles takes a moment to think about this while his old friend breathes his final breath.

Julie looks down at them "This was a setup"

"Yeah, I figured that part out..."

"Knuckles, I'm sorry about your friend, but I-"

"Julie, I know you said you don't remember anything, but _come on_... since you came back here, I've been part of some shady shit, so please tell me - What the fuck is going on?"

"Okay, fine.. my bosses sent me here to pick up AJ, I don't know what for, they just told me you'd know how to find him. That's all they all they said"

"They know me?"

"Well-"

Knuckles stands up "So, they just left out the part where we were engaged and living together for a year before we got split up in the wreck?"

Julie stiffens upon hearing this "Knuckles, I swear I can't remember any of that-"

"Right. They didn't want you to remember that shit, they just needed you to use it to get close to me - and they knew I couldn't say no to you. Makes sense.. Jesus, I'm so stupid for falling for this.."

Knuckles walks away from Julie and punches the brick wall, causing the lodged-in bullets to fall out and hit the floor. She does her best to hide all emotions but a single tear rolls down her face, forcing her to wipe it away.

"What'd you do with him? You hand AJ over to your bosses?"

Julie clears her throat "No, I didn't. I called Vector and left him with those guys. I said no other cops, just him and the chameleon.. it seemed like the right thing to do"

Knuckles drinks his beer "So you're going off-script with your bosses?"

"I guess so.."

"Well, then.. (sigh) AJ might be a little shit, but he don't deserve to be handed over to some plotting-in-the-dark assholes. Let's go pick him up, and work on a plan"

"You're gonna help me? After everything I did? ...Why would you trust me?"

"Let's call it faith. Besides, maybe this'll jog your memory" Knuckles grabs his apartment keys "...it is the right thing to do, after all"

* * *

Angel the Hedgehog sits across from Maggie Bloodmoon, leader of the biggest gang in Metropolis, The Destructix.

"Listen, Maggie - I need a favor, a pretty big one" Angel starts

"You know how I deal, Angie. Favor for a favor" Maggie retorts

"I heard about your little problem with Sleuth Dogg-"

"Who said he's causing me problems, asshole?"

Angel looks to the left, a massive bodyguard armed with a gun inches closer to his back

"I just mean he needs to go, it's pretty clear. He's getting old and he's a liability"

"I'd love to cut him loose but he's protected by _**The Chambers**_ , and you know damn well I can't cross them"

"...I also know you've had issues with some of Sonic's friends, mainly Knuckles the Echidna"

Maggie smirks "You sure hear a lot of things, you emo fuck"

"I'll cut the bullshit: I can get Dogg and Knuckles clipped Tonight"

"And that constitutes a 'pretty big favor' from me? Angie, I can have them killed anytime I want. Hundreds of my soldiers can do that for me, are you kidding?"

Angel leans closer "I can also get you the one thing that'll end this turf war"

"Yeah, what's that?"

"The next _Enerjak_ "

The female hedgehog brushes her blonde hair back "...you've got him working for you?"

"Why do you think my sister sent me down here? It wasn't to check out these nasty gangland hangouts, course not.. I got him. So, what do you say?"

Maggie thinks about the offer ".. how would you set this up? You doing this alone or what?"

Angel leans back on his chair "Same way you get stuff done: send the bitch in to do the bitch work"

Maggie laughs out loud and hands him a glass of Rum, to which they toast. The Red & Black Hedgehog watches as Maggie orders her bodyguard to call their 'retired' Hitman for a meet.

" _Wicked Games_ " by **The Weeknd** plays throughout the dark, grimy Bar in the west end suburbs. Sleuth Dogg sits on a bar stool at the front, enjoying his brew in peace. He hears a faint ringtone going off close to him, but ignores it. Today's been a long one and this is his only chance to relax.

The ringing continues, getting everyone's attention and plenty of annoyed looks from the college kids.

The young lady tending the bar leans over "I think someone's calling you, sweetie"

Dogg grudgingly pulls out his phone "It's my old employer. Told 'em a million times I ain't interested in going back, but y'know how bosses can be"

"That, I do"

Dogg answers his phone "Find someone else for the job. Last time I'll tell you"

"Bro, chill out! It's me, Simian!"

"Sim, tell them I ain't going back"

"D, they need to talk to you. I don't know for sure, but I heard they're giving you The Final job, you have to see them, bro!"

Dogg knew what The Final Job was. It's the bosses' way of letting a hitman retire. Complete one last hit and he's free.

Hitmen rarely ever live long enough to receive their Final job.

"Where and when for this?"

"They said meet them at Harris' meat packaging warehouse, I'll be there, too"

Dogg hangs up his phone, gulps down his mug of beer and gets off the bar stool. He stands much taller than everyone in the bar, and looks as big as a bodybuilder. He puts his leather jacket on and pulls out a 100 dollar bill

"Here, honey. You been good to me when no one else was" Dogg says

The bar tender takes the cash and smiles "How could I say no to you, sugar. See ya next time"

The wannabe tough guys make sure to get out of Dogg's way when he walks to the exit, their girlfriends look on, some laughing at their men being afraid, others just getting a good look at this massive individual.

The Hitman pulls his jacket collar up when he feels rain come down, then heads down the dark streets and into a very shady part of town.

This was his way out of Bloodmoon's grasp, and he's not going to screw it up.

* * *

Knuckles and Julie enter one of Vector & Espio's various steak-out headquarters. They press a button to their apartment and Vector buzzes them in. They walk a flight of stairs and loud 90's Grunge Rock Music blares throughout the entire 2nd floor. The two Echidnas walk through Vector's door and see they're not alone.

Knuckles looks closely "Amy?"

The Pink Hedgehog stands up "Knuckles! Julie! Hey!"

Amy runs over and quickly hugs both while Espio and Vector play a card game

"They called me as soon as they heard you were back" Amy says "Julie, I can't believe you're alive! I mean, I'm so glad you're here! Knuckles kept saying you were still alive and were missing. He never stopped looking, y'know"

Julie turns to Knuckles, who casually walks past her and over to the guys.

"So, where's the kid?"

Vector offers him a beer "In the back room. He wouldn't shut up unless we bought him that stupid _Mortal Kombat_ game. I didn't even have the right game system so I had to buy a brand new one! 500 bucks - gone!"

Espio laughs then puts a card down "You have an idea what you're gonna do with him?"

"Yeah, we're gonna wait til her boss calls and see what he says"

"Yeah, well - legally, we can't hold AJ against his will so, we have to decide what to do, like now" Vector explains "Cause otherwise, WE'RE breaking the law and that's no good for anyone here"

Knuckles takes a seat "I hear ya... well, shit - I don't know what to do-"

Julie's phone rings loudly "It's him, my boss!"

Amy shuts off the grunge music and everyone stays quiet. She quickly puts him on speakerphone so everyone can hear.

"Jules, I want you to know I forgive you for disobeying my commands earlier. I told Serena you'd remember the life you had with Knuckles but she insisted you had forgotten-"

Knuckles looks at Julie from across the room awkwardly, so she puts her hand up to stop him from speaking

"...and I know love is an unfortunate disadvantage for operatives in our line of work-"

"Angel, is there a reason you called?" Julie asks

"Yes. There's been a change of plans. I want you to bring that Red buffoon along to our rendezvous point. I have something for him that I think he'll enjoy if he picks it up, himself"

"Where is the Rendezvous point?"

As Angel speaks, AJ opens the back door and looks out "Do you guys have any Fruit Punch- Hey, there they are!"

Amy and Espio try shushing him but AJ starts to argue with Knuckles

"...how long have I been on speakerphone?" Angel asks

"Huh? Speakerphone? You aren't on-"

" **DON'T** you lie to me. Secure this line right now"

Julie covers her phone "Uh-oh, you guys hurt his feelings"

She walks into the bathroom and closes the door while AJ joins the group in the living room.

"Dude, why'd you leave me with these dickheads? They didn't even have anything for me to do! And her! She knocked me out!" AJ shouts

"Trust me kid, compared to what these other guys would've done to you, that's nothing. Speaking of them, I wanna know what this guy Angel has for me. You hear what he called me? A Red Buffoon! Who uses that insult, anymore? This dork, apparently!" Knuckles growls

AJ grabs his coat "Well, have fun with your new friend. I'm getting outta here"

"Kid, you need to stay here. This guy's out looking for you, and he's got some pretty nasty friends helping him" Knuckles says

"Yeah, well I've got some pretty nasty friends of my own so, I think I'm good. And would you stop calling me kid? I'm 17, not 7"

Knuckles grabs his arm "You can't go out there"

AJ pulls away "What, you're gonna keep me here against my will? That's illegal, bro! You guys are cops, do something! This whole situation is against the law!"

Vector and Espio look at each other, then go back to playing cards.

"Whatever man, I'm splitting - even if I have to fight my way through!"

Julie enters the room "Serena and Angel plan on using you as the next Enerjak"

AJ and Knuckles stop fighting and both look at the Pink Echidna with blank expressions, while Amy, Espio and Vector remain silent.

"...uh, what the hell is an Enerjak?" Amy finally asks

AJ drops his coat and walks up to Julie "Are you serious? Do you know for sure?"

"Wait, how do you know this?" Knuckles asks

"Because Angel just told me"

AJ and Knuckles look at each other " _Shit_..."


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter Four: The Meeting_

Angel the Hedgehog has called for a meet at the city's south end Wharf, a grimy and rundown part of town that overlooks the ocean. Julie-Su doesn't trust her employer, but she needs this to end tonight.

Knuckles walks up to Amy "Thanks for doing this, Ames"

"Not a problem. I missed fighting bad guys with you, Knux"

The Pink Hedgehog hugs Knuckles, quickly getting Julie's attention.

"Does everyone know their roles & responsibilities?" Julie asks, putting on her jacket

"That is a definitive yes"

"Yep"

"Roger"

"I'm ready" Knuckles says as he puts on his spiked gloves "Just point me in the right direction and stay clear"

Amy, Vector and Espio also put on their combat gear and wait by the door, while AJ looks at his cellphone screen

"I get why you don't want me coming along, but come on! I wanna be in there kicking some ass! These pricks want me, they can come get me!"

"We can't let Angel get you"

"And you're just a kid, AJ. These are grown men who wanna kill us, see what I'm getting at? Just stay here and wait for our word"

The teenage echidna growls quietly and heads back to the guest room.

Julie looks at Vector "You sure he'll be fine here?"

"Oh, definitely. He's got Mortal Kombat and a fridge full of food, what more does a douchebag like him need? He'll be alright"

Julie nods at the Crocodile and opens the front door

"Lets go see Angel"

Julie and Knuckles lead the way across town, casually looking around for anyone trying to follow them. Amy, Vector and Espio stay behind, trying not to look like they're all together.

"What do ya think he's got waiting out there for us?" Knuckles asks

"Can't say, but I know it won't be a straight exchange" Julie answers "Angel's a sneaky bastard, he'll do anything to get his way. He needs AJ for Serena's plan but something tells me he's got his own agenda..."

"Any ideas?"

"I know he doesn't want me around so I bet he'll find a way to get rid of me but not make it look like his fault"

Knuckles looks over his shoulder "I think we both know why he wants me there"

Julie looks at the ground and sighs "Yeah..."

The Echidnas reach the Wharf and head inside the designated warehouse Angel called the meeting at.

Amy hides behind a large gate "I'm at the front"

Vector takes cover by the entrance "I got the door"

Espio turns invisible to camouflage himself and climbs to the warehouse roof "In position, ready to move"

Julie presses on her earpiece Comm "Stay sharp, it'll get ugly fast"

The instant they enter the warehouse the door is slammed shut, and Knuckles pulls Julie to the ground. A loud Shotgun is fired off and shells hit inches where they were just standing. They duck behind a metal grate and wait for the shots to stop, but the shooter is using a Fully Automatic Shotgun so the bullets keep coming.

Knuckles takes off his jacket and throws it outwards to get the shooters' attention, then runs in the opposite direction

Knuckles knocks the shotgun out of Sleuth Dogg's hands and elbows him in the head three times before the massive Hitman kicks him backwards.

Vector and Amy break through the front door and run to help Knuckles, while Julie picks up the shotgun. She struggles to hold the heavy gun but is able to stop the fight

"Stop right there, asshole!" She orders

Dogg pulls out two more pistols and looks at the group "...there was only supposed to be one of you little shits"

"We don't play that game, murderer" Vector says

"I know you, you're that detective"

"And I know you killed over 60 men and women for your boss, Dogg. How is Maggie, by the way?"

"She's still breathing, so I'd say she's doing just fine"

"Where's Angel?!" Julie asks

"Who?"

"Don't play stupid, I know he sent you here! Where is he?"

Dogg sniffs around the air for a moment "...aw, motherfu-"

All the warehouse's doors and windows are broken in and over 30 individuals dressed in dark clothes enter with baseball bats, metal pipes or crowbars.

The group is completely surrounded.

"What the hell?" Amy says

"What is this?" Julie asks

"It's called taking care of loose ends" a male voice calls from the shadows

Dogg growls as his friend Simian joins the setup, brandishing a handgun

"Sim, you piece 'a shit"

Simian laughs "Eh, you gotta admit this was pretty elaborate, D"

Julie looks at both "Who are you dickheads?!"

Knuckles puts his arms down "Sargent Simian, ex-military turned drug runner. You killed my uncle 6 years ago"

Simian's smile drops "He most likely let himself get killed, Knux. But back to the matter at hand... drop your guns"

Julie and Dogg aim their guns at the giant Warthog and his smile returns

"Okay, have it your way"

Simian quickly shoots at Julie so Knuckles dives in the way, taking a bullet to the bicep. Just as more bullets fire off, Espio throws a Ninja's Morningstar out and smashes all the lights.

"Split up!" Knuckles shouts while covering his wounded arm, guiding Julie over to Vector

"Get her outta here, now!"

Julie's eyes widen "What?! Where are you going?!"

The Echidna is gone before Julie gets an answer so she leaves with Vector out the back.

"Guys! Where are you? I can't see anything!" Amy shouts

She feels someone grab her right hand so she tries to punch but her left hand is caught

"Come with me" a male voice says

"Espio?"

The Chameleon doesn't answer, only guides Amy through the carnage. He fights off Simian's thugs as they climb up a metal staircase and helps the Pink Hedgehog to an open window. They jump off the second story balcony, roll as they hit the ground and escape into the backstreets.

Sleuth Dogg can hardly see in the dark so he isn't prepared when the thugs attack. They pummel him for a moment, then Simian himself grabs ahold of Dogg

"Did ya really think Maggie was gonna let you retire, you old fuck?! She been tryin' to get rid of you for years, now!"

"Did YOU think you could kill me with all these pussies?"

"I _**know**_ I can! The Chambers' don't give a shit about you! Maggie's gonna make your head into an ashtray when you're dead!"

Simian aims his gun and pops a few shots off, striking Dogg in the shoulder and collarbone. He growls in pain and uses his claw to swipe at the Warthog.

Knuckles rips through the crowd and runs at Dogg, picks him up and uses him as a battering ram as they get through the thugs. They are both bashed with weapons but Dogg and Knux don't feel it as they push through. They break through a metal wall and land on the ground outside, letting in some light into the warehouse.

They fight for control on the ground, then Simian shoots at them from inside

"You wanna fight me? We gotta ditch that fat fuck or we'll be dead before we can settle this"

Knuckles snarls at this, then helps Dogg up and they run toward a fence that leads to a bike path. They quickly hop the fence and race up the grassy hill, still wet with rain dew.

Simian looks out "Where are they?!"

"Ah shit, they escaped!"

"All of 'em?!"

"Yeah, boss!"

"Argh!.. find 'em! Bring me Dogg at the very least! We can't go back without his body"

"Right away, sir!"

At the very same moment, AJ makes a bowl of cereal to eat in Vector's kitchen. He hears doors slamming from outside the building so he looks out the nearest window.

2 unmarked police cruisers flank the front of the building.

He calls Julie's cellphone, which she picks up "What is it, AJ?"

"Did you guys call in reinforcements to pick me up?" He asks

"What? No, what's going on over there?"

"Shit... I think I got made-"

The front door is kicked open and 3 officers run in with guns drawn. AJ ducks behind the kitchen counter and grabs a baseball bat but he gets tackled before he can swing his weapon.

The first officer looks over "Reject! Get over here and help, you lazy asshole!"

Mighty the Armadillo quickly runs over to help his superior officer restrain the teenage echidna. AJ tries to fight off the cops but the three of them are too much to handle. They slap a pair of handcuffs on his wrists and drag him out of the apartment.

As Mighty grabs the door handle, the second leading officer stops him, throws a Zippo lighter inside and both watch Vectors' apartment go up in flames.

"Trust me, M; we gotta destroy this evidence" the officer says

AJ fights with the lead officer as they go down the stairs, so he's thrown down the rest of the stairwell violently

"OWW! What the fuc-"

"Stop resisting, kid!"

"I ain't doing shit, you god damn- OW FUCK!"

M watches his superior officers use unnecessary force on the teenager, questioning this as he comes down the stairwell.

The leading officer looks at him "What're you standing around for? Drive, asshole!"

M jumps into the driver's seat and starts the engine while AJ is thrown into the backseat. The lead cop sits directly behind Mighty, while his partner sits in the passenger seat.

The armadillo watches as 4 cops from the 2nd cruiser jump out and begin taping off the crime scene.

"Back to the station, sir?" M asks

"What'd I tell ya earlier? We're going out to the West Side first, idiot! Now drive!"

M looks in the rear view mirror and sees AJ bleeding from his nose and mouth, making the whole experience unnerving.

"Why aren't we taking him back to be processed?"

The lead cop lets out an annoyed sigh and points his gun at M's head.

A massive BOOM rocks the entire city, allowing M to dive out of the cruiser and roll into some bushes. He doesn't wait for them to stop and he sprints as fast as he can toward downtown

 _What the fuck is going on?_ He thinks

He sticks to the backstreets and avoids eye contact with everyone out tonight. He just learned his superior officers are corrupt and he narrowly avoided being shot in the head, so he assumes the police have him on high alert.

Knuckles and Sleuth Dogg reach an abandoned construction site and stop to catch their breath.

Still reeling from the explosion, Knuckles calls Julie to see if she made it out alright. Once she answers, he hangs up and calls Amy, who says the same.

The Echidna rips a piece off his long sleeve shirt and ties it around the bullet wound on his right arm.

Dogg looks at him "They set me up, just so you know"

"The guys who ordered you to kill us or your friends?"

"Maggie Bloodmoon, that bitch... I knew this wasn't about letting me retire"

Knuckles faces off with him "Funny you should say that, me and my ex girlfriend were supposed to meet this Angel guy and instead we get shot at by you. Care to explain?"

Dogg looks down at him "Look, Bloodmoon gave me one last job and I told her to find someone else. She offered my freedom so I had to do it. But she told me to cap some corrupt SWAT Officer, not you... My old friend Simian shows up to snuff me out but that all went to shit... now they're looking for all of us"

Knuckles takes a moment to think about this, while Dogg leans against a wall "Knux, I honestly have never met this Angel guy, nor have I heard of him. These guys want to kill me just as much as they want to kill you, that's all I know. If you don't believe me then fine, bring it on... but I'm getting my hands on Bloodmoon and Simian either way"

The Echidna looks at the ground "So, your boss Bloodmoon is working with Angel, and they set up this meeting to kill us both... that wasn't a great idea on their end... now I _have_ to get this son of a bitch"

"You're telling me, pal..."

There's a moment of silence between the duo, both still breathing heavily from running,

Then Dogg finally asks the question

"...so what happens here? Between us?"

"They sent us into a trap, I think it's only fair we do to them what they did to us"

Dogg extends his hand "A truce, then?"

Knuckles shakes his hand "Just this once, Dogg. After that, we're done"

"Of course"

The Echidna stretches his wounded arm out to get blood flowing again, while The Hitman looks through his pockets to see what he has.

Knuckles looks at Dogg "Your boss, Bloodmoon, she'd be able to get me to Angel... what do you say we work together to run this evil bitch down?"

Dogg grins "I was hoping you'd make the offer, first"


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter Five: A Bad Night Gets Worse_

It's 9:39 PM when Angel is escorted into Maggie Bloodmoon's giant oakwood office. He casually struts over to a chair sitting in the center of the room, taking his time to look every thug and bodyguard in the eyes, and smile their way.

He sits down and pulls out a cigarette "Cool if I smoke in here?"

Maggie doesn't say a word, just nods at him so he lights it up.

"So, about tonight-"

Maggie jumps to her feet "You got 20 of my men killed out there, you son of a bitch!"

The Black&Red Hedgehog takes a long drag of his smoke before answering "...They shouldn't have been there when the bomb went off. I did tell you I planted a bomb there, right?"

Maggie doesn't answer, just sits back down

"Furthermore, I do recall you saying you had hundreds of soldiers at your disposal, correct? Is that a fair point?"

"My men don't give their lives for crazy goth fucks like you!"

"Mags, chill out; this is business"

The Blonde hedgehog jumps out of her seat "No, you just made an empty promise and did not deliver on that!"

A knock at the door gets everyone's attention so a bodyguard opens it slightly

Someone whispers into his ear and he looks to Maggie "It's an Echidna kid. Foot soldier for The Tresspassers"

Angel turns around "Ah, that would be him. AJ, our guest of honour"

Maggie nods at her guard and he lets Angel's men in. They drag AJ in, still handcuffed and beaten. He drops to both knees and looks up at Bloodmoon

She checks him out "This kid is your Enerjak?"

"Fuck you, I'm no psycho!" AJ barks

A guard punches the teenager in the face twice and knocks him to the floor.

Angel blows smoke in his face "No one gave a shit about you before today, young man. When it came out that YOU were chosen to be Enerjak, then how many folks wanted to be your friend?... so, my point is, you are now whatever we want you to be. But most importantly, you are now our property"

AJ springs up and lunges at Angel but his men quickly subdue the young echidna

"Argh... why are you doing this? Why _me?_ "

Angel leans in close "Because of who you are"

"I'm nobody! I'm not special! Just leave me alone, you sick, demented fuck!"

The Black&Red Hedgehog smokes more of his cigarette and motions for his men to take him away. The office doors are pushed open and Angel's half-sister Serena walks right toward him

"You killed her!" Serena shouts

"Julie remembered Knuckles and went rogue. She needed to be silenced" Angel replies

"Bullshit, you've always hated her and you had her killed!"

Bloodmoon and her gang watch the siblings argue in front of them, unknowing of what to do

"Sister, look: Julie did her job, she located Abbott-Jak, but she defied our command and went against us. For that her punishment was death, served quickly and painlessly. I now have the young man and our plan can continue" Angel explains

Serena takes a look at AJ, stuck in the arms of Angel's men.

"This is him? I knew he was a teenager, but I was under the impression he was- big" she says

"He'll get bigger and stronger once we take him back" Angel responds "He will not resemble this skinny punk he is now, I assure you"

"...pack him up, let's move"

As Angel and Serena walk towards the door, Maggie stands up to stop them

"I HELPED YOU GET THE KID, YOU OWE ME!"

Serena looks at the shorter, Blonde Hedgehog & snaps her fingers. 60 Sniper Rifle lasers instantly flash on and aim at Bloodmoon and her guards. The Destructix don't move a muscle as Serena scoffs at them, then finally exits the office.

Angel looks back in once more "I'll be back to square-up with you in one hour, Miss Bloodmoon"

* * *

Mighty the Armadillo moves through the streets as vigilantly as possible, sticking close to back alleys and open areas. He wants to be able to escape fast if anyone with a badge spots him. He figures he's walked through at least 10 neighbourhoods, so far no cops have been seen.

But that doesn't mean they're not looking.

M reaches the south west side of Metropolis when he hears chatter amongst an oncoming group. He quickly hides in the alleyway shadows in between two buildings, and waits for them to pass.

Amy Rose walks beside Espio the Chameleon and says "I hope we're going the right way"

"I don't know this part of town all that well, but Vector's GPS signal is pointing right around here"

M jumps out of the shadows "Hey, Espio! Amy!"

The Chameleon launches a lightning-fast punch into Mighty's nose, dropping him to ground instantly

"Whoa, my bad" Espio apologizes "You know, you really shouldn't sneak up on me, M"

The Armadillo grasps his bleeding nose "Yep, gonna remember that for next time"

Amy helps him up "What're you doing out here? Trying to get us arrested again?"

"Hey, that was an honest mistake last time! ..no, I was called out here by my superior officers to arrest some street thug. Things turned sour, I escaped an execution and found out my superiors are corrupt"

Amy and Espio look at each other for a moment "Weren't you demoted to working the beat?"

M sighs "After my fuck-up with Hazard, the board took away my detective badge and sent me to schools working as a crossing guard, if that makes you feel better"

Amy smiles "That does make me feel better. But seriously, there's something big happening. Something bad"

"What is it?"

Espio cuts in "How do we know we can trust you?"

M puts his hands up defensively "My superiors tried to murder me, Espio! I've got to assume they've called in an ABP on me and have every cop in the city looking for me. I'm excommunicated from the force. I want to know why they did this, just as much as you do"

"So the cops are in on this too? Shit"

"Yes! I have nowhere to go now, so let me in on this!"

Espio looks around, a few passers-by are pointing towards the trio

"We gotta disappear, NOW"

The Chameleon grabs Amy and M by the arms and uses his invisibility cloaking to get them out of sight. Within one minute police cruisers block off the area and begin their search.

Espio maneuvers the trio out of the streets and quickly into a Forrest woodland. Amy texts Julie's cellphone and they wait.

The pink Echidna and Vector show up and hide out in the Forrest while the cops shine lights everywhere, but find nothing. An hour goes by before the cruisers leave the area and head back to HQ

"What's going on here?" M asks

"We went to a meeting at the Wharf and it turned out to be a setup. A bomb went off and we had to split up" Vector answers

"We? Whose we?"

"Me, Espio, Amy, Knuckles, Julie-"

"Wait, Knuckles? God damnit, how'd I know he was involved in all this?! That smug, red asshole!"

Julie confronts him "What's your deal with him? He saved our lives!"

"Lady, you don't know the half of it. Knuckles used to be one of those bastards out there! Sure, he's cool now - but I knew him when he was a shit head thug! And he's used every chance to mess with me, and the police!" M yells

"Yeah, like you're so noble. You tried to have us arrested, and you were gonna let the real bad guys get away!" Amy shouts back

Vector turns to Julie "Don't listen to this wannabe detective. He's been proven to be unreliable in areas such as loyalty and friendship"

M growls "I don't need this shit!.."

"So go back out there and get busted. Or better yet - shot!"

The Armadillo stops in his tracks

"Enough. We're accomplishing nothing like this. M, if you wanna leave, fine. This situation is out of control and I intend on stopping it" Espio says

Vector stands beside him "He's right. Let's get back to work, here"

M rejoins the group "...so what do you know about this shit show?"

"Some guy named Angel called Knuckles & Julie to a meeting. That Hitman Sleuth Dogg meets them instead. His old gang shows up to kill us all and a bomb takes out the Wharf"

"And Knuckles? Where is he?" M asks

"We don't know. He called to make sure we were okay, then he disconnected. His phone is dead and so far we've heard nothing" Vector says

Well, shit... was he alone?"

"No, I saw him with Dogg, they were running away towards the east" Espio replies

"So, assuming he's still alive; if we find Knuckles and Dogg, we might be able to squeeze something out of our assassin"

"Great. Now how do we find him?" Amy asks

"With some good old fashioned detective work"

M leads the way and the rest of the gang follows close behind.

* * *

The massive Dogg helps Knuckles up a steep cliff side and onto a dirt pathway. They stick to the shadows to avoid any guards and make as little noise as possible.

Dogg signals Knuckles to stop and both look up through the trees and bushes. A large gang clubhouse is illuminated by outside security lights, spot lights and red motion detectors all along the edges of a concrete fence. Two armed gangsters guard every entrance to the huge compound vigilantly.

"I've got the west, you take east" Dogg orders

Knuckles nods and the two split up.

The Hitman throws a rock at a nearby tree, getting the attention of one guard with a machine gun. He keeps his weapon steady as he inches closer to the shadows.

"What is it?" A guard asks

The thug shines a flash light "...I got nothing over here"

Dogg rips the gun away and shoots the smaller gangster in the chest once, then moves in.

"Shit, someone's out here!"

The next two guards are shot down and silenced. The assassin's training easily helps him get through the front gate and up the staircase, eliminating anyone who pops out. Dogg kicks open the front doors and slides across the tile floor, avoiding machine gun fire from every direction. He shoots once more then tosses the gun away and rips a table leg off to use as his next weapon.

More guards start screaming in pain as Knuckles tears through them with punishing blows to their vital areas. Liver shots, Neck strikes and Groin kicks knock the gangsters down long enough for the Echidna to take their guns away. He then proceeds to knock them out with vicious punches to the face.

Dogg comes out of hiding and takes a few guns "There'll be more gunslingers upstairs with grenades and shit. I say we split the Clubhouse in half and work our way up"

"If I reach the top first, tell me what Bloodmoon looks like so I don't let her escape" Knuckles says as he walks upstairs

"She's a little blondie with pink contact lenses. Probably carrying a 9mm, you can't miss her. But don't kill her!"

Knuckles looks back "I ain't the killer here"

Dogg grins slightly, then runs towards another staircase in the back of the clubhouse. He hears dozens of footsteps coming down so he climbs on a countertop and aims his gun. The guards are cut down as they race downstairs, blood spurting out like water balloons exploding. Dogg makes sure they're down before climbing to the next floor. He picks up a clip and reloads his automatic weapon as fast as he can. He hears loud dance music blaring throughout this floor, realizing he's interrupted a house party.

He sees college girls hiding so he calls out "Out, girls. Now, move. It's only gonna get uglier"

He surveys the room left and right, then from the corner of his eye, sees one of the girls aim a gun at him

"Die, you piece of shit!" She shouts

Dogg ducks down but is still shot in the shoulder. The girl continues to fire at him so he's forced to silence her as well. She goes down and he kicks the gun out of her hand.

"Anyone who doesn't wanna die, get the fuck outta here NOW!"

All the girls and a few thugs run downstairs and out the front door. Dogg rips the bullet out of his right shoulder, pulls out a torch lighter and holds his knife over the flame. Once the metal is red hot, he holds the blade to his wound and cauterizes it. He groans lightly as the heat seals his flesh closed.

Dogg takes a minute to rest, then gets back up and heads towards the stairs.


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter Six: Cutting The Loose End Free_

Incoming footsteps on the floor above makes Sleuth Dogg raise his gun cautiously, eager to blow a hole in the next gun-toting, wannabe badass gangster.

The Hitman keeps his back to the wall and grips the railing as he ascends the marble staircase, ready to hop over the retaining wall to avoid gunfire. He gets three quarters up the stairs when 30 armed thugs in black jackets point their guns at Dogg.

He moves down a few steps but more thugs block his exit and force him back up.

Angel joins the stand off "Oh shit, my man Sleuth Dogg! How are you doing on this fine evening? I hope we didn't spoil your little raid"

Dogg looks around at all the gun-toting, wannabe badass gangsters he was ready to shoot and accepts that he's completely fucked.

"Drop the gun. You can't shoot us all before we waste you"

Dogg aims at Angel "I can get you"

Angel's half sister Serena pulls out her gun and shoots Dogg in the legs, dropping him to both knees. A large henchman kicks his gun out of reach and puts his weapon to Dogg's head

Angel intervenes "No, wait! Let me ask him a question..."

Dogg grasps his wounds while Angel walks down the staircase until he's 3 steps above the Hitman

"You didn't come here by yourself, did you?"

"No, your mom's waiting in the car outside. She said She'd blow me if I killed you" Dogg laughs

Angel mockingly laughs along, then shoots him in the chest three times. Dogg groans in pain, but he doesn't go down

"What the- who else is with you?!"

"What, are ya deaf? I said your mother is waiting to suck my-"

Angel fires 5 more rounds into Dogg but he shakes them off and grins as the blood flows from his mouth

"The fuck's 'a matter with this guy, why won't he die?!"

A loud PA system crackles as it turns on "They say Sleuth Dogg can't be killed"

Angel and his men look around for a moment "Bloodmoon, is that you?"

"Yeah. My security system caught Mr. Dogg and his friend Knuckles breaking in, about a minute after you left my office, Angie" Bloodmoon responds

"So, the Echidna lived... Can you keep both of them here, Maggie?"

"Gonna show me what your Enerjak can do, huh. Sure, I'll keep 'em alive til you get back"

"Great. C'mon, boys. You're about to see a show on _The Island_ "

Meanwhile, Knuckles climbs the last set of stairs and reaches Bloodmoon's office. A thug throws a punch so Knuckles ducks under, spins around and connects with a painful body-kick and drops the guard with a Right hand to the temple.

Another guard runs up and punches wildly at the Echidna, missing every shot as Knuckles dodges and moves his head out of the way. During the flurry, Knuckles catches his opponent with an uppercut punch and stuns the thug, giving him a chance to throw his combination of punches and kicks. He ends the 10 hit combo with a front kick that knocks the guard backwards and through Bloodmoon's office doors.

Knuckles steps over the downed thug and enters, but Bloodmoon isn't here.

In her place are two larger guards, both brandishing razor sharp Chainsaws. Knuckles turns around and sees Maggie's entourage enter the office behind him.

Maggie stands face to face with Knuckles "I never thought you'd call a truce with Dogg, Echidna. You must really be desperate, Jonathan"

"What'd you call me?"

"Oh, don't pretend like you forget about being a criminal. I know who you are. You used to work for-"

"I never worked for no one!" Knuckles interrupts "...I did some favors for some assholes, but I was never a criminal"

Maggie smiles and shakes her head "You keep telling yourself that, Jonathan"

Knuckles clinches his fists "Look, I'm not here for you. It's Angel. I know he's working with you. Tell me where he is and I'll be on my way"

"Can't do that, big boy. But I can tell you he's coming back here in an hour, if you'd like to stick around"

"No thanks"

Knuckles goes for the exit but the guards raise their guns at him

"I'm afraid you can't leave. Me and Angel have a deal to maintain. But don't worry, your friend Sleuth Dogg is still with us" Maggie signals to her guards "Boys, can you please bring that big sack of shit up here"

The office doors are pushed open and Dogg is dragged in. He's got a fresh black eye, red swelling around his jaw and blood dripping from his nose and mouth. Bloodmoon's men put a pretty good beating on the Hitman.

"Tie 'em to some chairs and keep them quiet until Angel arrives" Maggie orders

"What, you think that scrawny emo fuck face can kill me? Ha!" Knuckles shouts

"Angel can't kill a fly. But he's bringing something that could kill everyone in Metropolis"

Knuckles stops to think "...AJ!"

* * *

The local residents in small villages and huts on Angel Island's east coast hide in their homes and look out as Serena, Angel and AJ jump off a helicopter. The teenage Echidna is handcuffed and covered in dried blood. Angel lights a cigarette and walks beside his half sister through the yellow, dead grasslands. Their guards drag AJ by the arms and stay close behind the two hedgehogs.

The group reaches a massive, yet decaying concrete Temple on the edge of a waterfall. Everyone enters and they're greeted by Elders of the Temple

"Yeah, yeah, move along, nobody cares" Angel dismisses

Serena nudges him "Will you show some respect? We're on their land!"

"We're just using them for one thing, relax, sister" Angel replies "Where are the doctors?"

Two very old, hunchbacked Echidnas appear from a dark room "We are ready for the subject"

AJ tries to fight "Let go of me! I'm not a freak!"

Angel waves a finger and his biggest guard punches AJ in the body, dropping him to the floor. He coughs and two more guards drag him into the dark room.

The Elderly Echidnas open another door "Please, sit. The process may take some time"

Angel pushes past the elder "But not too much time, right Doctor?"

"No, of course not, sir"

"Good. C'mon, Serena. Let's see if they have WIFI in here"

Inside the dark room, AJ is placed on a slab of concrete and restraints are placed on his limbs. He fights with the guards but is too weak to do any real damage. He closes his eyes and waits for the nightmare to begin.

The elderly Doctors look through a dusty, black book, a Ritual book from the old days. They find what they're looking for and get the appropriate equipment ready.

Back in the sitting area, Angel plays with his cellphone while Serena looks at all the paintings on the walls. She admires one piece from the old days, a warrior Echidna holding a War Hammer.

AJ's screams of pain echo through the temple as the Transformation begins. Angel laughs quietly and continues playing the game on his phone.

Suddenly more screams are heard from the dark room.

Angel stands up and looks at his guards "Go check it out!"

The large guard grabs his gun and leads his team in. Everything stays silent for a minute, then the leader calls out

"Boss! It's clear. He's alone"

Angel walks inside first and sees AJ standing in the center of the room. The two doctors are slain and the 1 of Angel's men are wounded. The rest of the guards have their guns trained on the Echidna.

Serena looks at AJ, noticing he's grown a foot taller and 50 pounds of muscle have been added to him. His dreadlocks also grew out, almost touching the floor.

She stands face to face with the teenager and scans his face

"Speak" She orders

 _ **Qoi la doon sey-yoh**_

"English?"

The Giant Echidna shakes his head

Angel sighs "Great, he can't speak english. What language is that, anyway?"

Serena waves to Angel to shut up then looks back at the Echidna "Tell me your name"

 _ **Enerjak**_

"See, he understands english, brother. So He'll follow my orders no problem"

Angel scoffs "Fine. Look, badass: Let's go outside and talk, it smells like dead bodies in here"

Enerjak walks to the closest wall and punches a hole through the concrete, then knocks it down with a kick.

"That way works, too"

Everyone joins the Giant Echidna outside, guards still have their guns drawn on him as they walk.

Serena looks over the waterfall at the nature of Angel Island. Enerjak looks at the ground waiting for orders.

Angel laughs "That's great, this plan actually worked! He's really here!"

"Course it worked, it was my plan. You wanna tell me what you were doing, meeting with that little Blonde bitch? What did you say to her?" Serena demands

"Whoa, chill out, sister. It had to do with the plan. If I didn't deal with her, this wouldn't have happened"

"If you wouldn't have made a deal with her, Julie-Su would be right her with us!"

Angel sees the guards staring intently at him "Serena, lets not do this here, alright? This can wait"

"No, I want answers now! I always knew you had your own agenda, but why would you go against me, Angel?

The Black&Red hedgehog growls quietly, then gives Enerjak a Chaos Emerald

" **Kill her!** "

In a split second, Serena is blasted with an energy ray that cuts through her body like a knife. Her guards raise their weapons but Enerjak reaches them first and snaps their necks with one hand each. The Giant Echidna then throws their bodies at Serena and the three of them fall off the waterfall, never to be seen again.

Enerjak grasps the last guard but Angel stops him "You, hey kid! Wanna work for me? You get to live longer and the pay is much better"

"Y-Yes, I DO!" The frightened guard pleads

"Great. Let 'em go, Jak. He's one of the smart ones"

The Echidna releases the guard and stands next to Angel, towering over the Black&Red hedgehog.

"We're leaving this shit hole swamp and going back to my friend Maggie's. I got a promise to keep"

The trio walk away from the Temple and jump back on their helicopter. Enerjak's eyes glow a sinister Grey tone as he scans the land.

* * *

Mighty the Armadillo drives a green SUV he stole from a parking lot. Amy Rose sits in the passenger seat while Julie-Su and Vector sit in the seats behind them, and Espio sits in the very back of the SUV. They reach Bloodmoon's gang compound and he kills the engine.

"You sure this is the place?" Julie asks

"Bloodmoon's hangout, yes. Whether or not Knuckles is here, well... it's worth a look" M answers

Vector turns to the back seat "Espio, you're up"

The Chameleon activates his invisibility cloaking and jumps out the back window.

Julie looks at Vector "Doesn't he ever get tired of going in first?"

"Nah, he loves it. It's his thing. He was brought up in a Ninjutsu household so this is the closest to being back there for him" Vector answers "He gets mad if someone else goes first"

"Really? I haven't heard him speak more than 2 sentences this whole night"

"Another Ninjutsu thing, or so he says. Personally, I think he don't like to talk much, he lets me do all of that"

"huh"

Vector's cellphone rings so he answers "Yeah, whatcha got?"

"I make 10 armed guards on the second floor, 12 or more on the third but the top floors aren't as filled up" Espio answers

"And Knuckles? You see him?"

"Negative. But The office is locked down, that'll probably be our jackpot"

"Great. We're coming in"

"Roger"

Vector hangs up and opens his door, while Amy and M follow. Julie looks confused so she grabs his arm to ask a question

"What's going on? We're just going in?"

"Yeah. Espio's taking out the fire power and we get cleanup duty" Vector says

"It'll be alright, Julie. I trust these guys with my life" Amy reassures

"What about you, cop?" Julie asks

"Me? Shit, I wouldn't trust these dipshits with my pet Chao!... but I don't have much of a choice in this situation, lady, so uh... yeah. Do what you want"

"Wow, that doesn't make me feel any better about this" Julie says

"Come on. Your boyfriend might be in there gettin' his head kicked in" M says

"...we're separated, douchebag..."

The group makes their way in and gun shots ring out from the floors above. Espio easily rushes through the gang's attacks and knocks their guns away while launching his own painful counter moves.

Every thug is taken down within 18 seconds.

"Upstairs is clear" Espio says

Vector smirks "Great work pal. coming up, now"

Inside the office, Maggie Bloodmoon watches her security cameras vigilantly as the Chameleon smashes through her guards like nothing.

"His friends are here for him!" A guard shouts

"No fuckin' shit, genius. Calm down and get the Chopper up in the air. It's time to leave" Maggie orders "We're taking them to _The Site_ "

Knuckles fights to get loose from the restraints but the guards have made it impossible to escape.

On the roof, a pilot turns on the engine of a Silver Helicopter and checks all the gauges. Once he's sure everything's in order, he radios into Bloodmoon's office and tells them the Chopper is ready to lift off.

Bloodmoon stands up "Alright boys, lets go!"

The office doors are locked open but no one enters. While Bloodmoon's guards shoot at the door, Espio crawls around the floor, still cloaked by his invisibility. The guards are knocked down, guns get taken away and Knuckles is pulled into the hallway.

Maggie puts a gun to Dogg's head and uses him as a shield "Back away, now!"

Espio cuts the restraints off Knuckles' hands and legs, while Bloodmoon and Dogg use a hidden staircase that leads to the rooftop. They enter the Silver Chopper and it lifts off before Knuckles has a chance to get to them.

"Shit!" Knuckles shouts

Julie, Amy, Espio and Vector get to the rooftop with him and watch the Chopper fly off

"I'm going after him"

Julie grabs his arm "What? Why?"

"I'm saving his life. He deserves that much"

Knuckles turns to Vector "Is that Green heap of shit in the parking lot yours?"

"Yep" Vector says as he throws the keys over

The Echidna walks back inside and through the office but M tries to keep him from leaving

"Knux, cops are on their way, I need you to stay here and give your statement-"

Knuckles pushes M aside "Fuck outta my way"

"Your welcome for finding this place and saving your life, asshole!"

"You never gave a shit about me, this is about catching Bloodmoon and saving your career with the police. The evidence is in her file cabinet, by the way"

Julie, Amy and Espio catch up to their friend and hop inside the Green SUV. Knuckles starts up the engine and peels out of the compound.

"Espio, can you find that Chopper?"

"Just a sec- I've got it... heading south on BaleLine Road"

The SUV runs a red light and flies down the freeway.

Sleuth Dogg sits in his seat, hands and feet bound together. He glares at Maggie Bloodmooon angrily

"Ugh, somebody please bag his head" She says

A guard punches Dogg in the face and puts a white bag over his head. The Hitman fights with the guard so Maggie pistol whips him and grabs a roll of duct tape

"Yeah, lets see how tough you are when we land, Dogg!" She shouts

Maggie hands the tape to her body guard and he begins taping the bag over Dogg's face.

"Whoa, whoa- at least poke a hole in the bag so he can breathe, psycho! ...I want him alive for this" Maggie says

The Chopper lands in a massive crater site, surrounded by sand dunes and dry desert. The stars in the night sky illuminate the area, while the Full Moon shines on Maggie's face.

They wait 5 minutes before Angel's crew arrive to The Site.

The Black&Red hedgehog climbs out of an old model Pickup Truck and his entourage flanks him. Dogg isn't able to see anything as the guards drag him out of the helicopter and deeper into the Crater.

Angel shakes hands with Maggie and they lean against his truck to watch the show.

Dogg is thrown face-first into the sand and the two gangs laugh as he tries to get up, but the restraints on his arms and legs make that impossible.

Knuckles drives the SUV around trying to find where the Crater Site is but can't find it.

"Espio, you sure this is the way?" Knuckles asks

"The Satellite image is showing it to be this way"

Knuckles takes his phone and zooms in on the location.

Enerjak gets out of Angel's truck and walks down the sand dune toward Dogg

"Shit, they turned AJ into Enerjak!"

Julie looks over "What?!"

"Is that Sleuth Dogg?" Amy asks

Knuckles says nothing and watches the image

Dogg begins to crawl away but he can't get far. Enerjak slides the rest of the way down the sand dune and pulls out his Chaos Emerald

"Don't do it, kid... Come on, drop the Gem, AJ!" Knuckles shouts "Fuck, where is this place, I can't find it!"

Down in the Crater, Enerjak looks at Dogg, bound and blinded. He turns to Angel, who stands at the top of the sand dune.

He gives a thumbs down signal to the teenage Echidna and smiles

Dogg knows what's coming next so he tries his best to get away but he's too weak to move, and his arms are bound behind his back. He groans loudly, both in pain and fear for his life.

Enerjak points the Chaos Emerald at Dogg's head and fires an energy bolt at him. The energy goes straight into Dogg's temple and the groaning stops.

He slumps over dead in the sand.

Julie and Amy look away from the phone screen, while Knuckles keeps his eyes glued to the image of Dogg's dead body.

Espio looks behind him and sees M leading a group of police cruisers to them

"Knux, local PD are here, so whatever you're gonna do, it's gotta wait"

Julie lightly grasps Knuckles' shoulder "What are you going to do?"

"...me and you gotta end this shit"


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter Seven: Angel's Arrest_

Everyone returns to Knuckles' apartment, the brick walls still filled with bullet holes after a mysterious shooter emptied an SMG clip through the side window. Knuckles stays on his balcony and isolates himself away from the group after failing to save both AJ and Dogg from Angel.

Mighty, Julie, Amy and Vector sit in the living room, listening to an old Boombox Radio to pass the time.

Julie grabs her coat "I'm going to do some surveillance. I'll call if I find something"

The pink echidna leaves the apartment and Vector opens the fridge "You think he's got any Diet Soda in here?"

"V, this is serious" Amy says "It's like no matter what we do, this guy knows what's gonna happen..."

M stands up "You're not wrong, Amy. I need to take a walk to clear my thoughts"

Mighty is the next to leave the apartment, leaving Amy, Vector and Knuckles.

"Where'd Espio go?"

"I think he feels bad about not being able to save Dogg last night. He goes off on these spiritual walks from time to time, that's probably what he's doing now" Vector answers

Amy sighs "Well, what else could go wrong?"

Within 5 days Angel and Maggie Bloodmoon take out their competition and effectively become the strongest gang in Metropolis. Whoever doesn't pay the Alliance or disrespects Maggie gets Enerjak sent to their front door. So far he's dispatched the heaviest hitters from each of the 3 rival gangs in town, proving to everyone who the toughest foot soldier is.

By weeks' end Angel is named the Warlord of his own crew. He calls them _**Angel's Flock**_. With the Flock and Enerjak working for him, he becomes very wealthy and settles into a penthouse suit once owned by a mobster from the 1940's named Mammoth Mongol.

But part of Angel's deal is he has to give Maggie a big percentage of that wealth and keep her happy, a price he's learned to live with.

Now that the gangs have been put in check, Angel goes to work with a few Police Officers who can be swayed by a fat stack of cash. It's time to become partners with Chief inspector Krause and Deputy Chief Flynn.

Julie sits next to Amy inside Knuckles' apartment, both watching a computer monitor closely

"Alright guys, Angel's arriving to the meet" Julie says

"Be careful, he's got some body guards. Infrared scanners are detecting heat coming from inside their jackets" Amy points out "They're armed and have recently shot their weapons"

Mighty the Armadillo stays hidden in the shadows "Copy. We're going in and bringing the hammer down"

He looks through a crack in a doorway to see Flynn and Krause waiting for Angel

"Those are my superiors who tried to shoot me in the head!... Man, this is gonna be fun busting them"

Julie watches the screen "Here's are guy. Get ready to move"

Angel enters the old auto body shop and shakes both officers' hands. His underlings put two suitcases on a table and opens them up, revealing thousands of dollars. The corrupt cops laugh with Angel and take their bribes without issue.

Knuckles kicks the doors open and makes a B-line for Angel

"Nobody move!" Vector shouts as he aims at the group

Espio backs him up with a Shotgun and Mighty enters last, aiming at his superiors with two Desert Eagles pointed directly at their heads

"What is this, a citizens arrest?!" Flynn shouts

"You're not a cop anymore, M! I had you discharged and erased!" Krause yells

M pistol whips the corrupt cops and slaps handcuffs on them

"Yeah, lets see how well that stands in court, fruit cake"

Vector and Espio arrest serveral members of Angel's Flock, while Knuckles throws their leader against the wall

Angel laughs "What? You mad? Wanna open me up, go right ahead! Do it and you won't ever see your girlfriend ever again"

Julie watches the monitor to see what Knuckles does

"Yeah, I know she's alive. I know she's in your apartment watching us from a god damn computer monitor! I even knew she's been watching me all week, I just wanted to see when you'd grow a pair of balls and make a move"

Angel looks up at the corner of the room and waves to a hidden camera

"So this is how it goes, redneck: you get your big sweaty hands off my $1000 suit or our good friend AJ will go in there and rip her head off her body, understand?"

Knuckles releases the Black & Red hedgehog reluctantly and punches the wall beside his head

"Wow, you're _very_ intimidating when you're angry, Jonathan" Angel mocks

Knuckles leaves the auto body shop and disappears into the back streets. Angel yawns and makes his way toward the door when M points his gun at him

Angel turns to face him "Yeah, no. This isn't happening tonight. I've got a penthouse suite to get back to so if you don't mind-"

M pistol whips Angel across the face, drawing blood from his cheek instantly. He falls to the floor and M slaps a pair of handcuffs on him as tight as he can

"Yeah, I think this _is_ happening, you Goth freak. I owe a friend of mine at least this much"

"This'll never stick, you know! I'm high society now, you're just a reject cop cunt! Ohh, this is gonna be fun, you stupid pig!"

"Yeah, yeah keep talking. Jury's gonna love this bit"

Within seconds the whole block is covered in police cruisers and SUV's. When it's discovered M found the moles inside Metro PD he's praised as a hero. Any past blemish on his record is erased and the department reinstates him as an officer.

M takes all the credit for finding Angel and crippling his gang, while Knuckles and his friends watch from the sidelines. M is even promoted to Detective by the end of the week.

Today Angel sits in a jail cell with his lawyer and a visitor from The Foock. They make sure to mask their conversation with plenty of double-meaning phrases and code words designed to confuse anyone not familiar with it.

"Yeah, food ain't bad in here, somebody must've complained about it before. Just like that hothead (Detective) in King's office. (Captain Queen's department) But that's old news" Angel scoffs

"Whatchu want for dinner when you get out? (What do you want to be done?) There's plenty of good shit to eat nowadays"

"Ah, I've always liked Pulled Pork (Kill that Cop) but lately I've been craving Chicken Wings, the more the better (And his friends) Eh, what else is happening?"

"Not much. Ever since we graduated, none of our classmates wanna hangout, it's weird. (Bloodmoon's keeping her distance, I don't like it)"

"Hm. I wonder what's up with them. (I'll look into it) Anyways, I better get going. I can't wait for that pulled pork. Just make sure it's the right sauce, wouldn't wanna have to complain to the Chef (Send AJ, don't fuck up)"

"It was good seeing ya, Bro. That meal will be perfect when you get out (No worries, it'll be done)"

Later that same night, M goes for a walk through Ox Park and listens to music on his phone. He's oblivious to the fact Enerjak is lurking in the shadows close by, watching the detective hastily.

The Armadillo goes deeper into the park and the teenage Echidna strikes. He slices M's forearm with a razor and kicks out his legs, dropping him on his back.

"What the- Ah, Shit!"

Enerjak plunges the knife into M's collarbone and he howls in pain. He's able to get away from his attacker, pull the knife out and open voice command on his phone

"Call Knuckles!" M shouts into the phone

 _ **-Calling Knuckles-**_

The Echidna sits in his apartment drinking a beer when his phone vibrates. He checks the caller ID before answering

 _What does that cop want, now?_ Knuckles thinks

He picks up "Yeah, what?"

"That kid Angel took is trying to kill me!"

"Enerjak?! Shit, where are you?"

"Ox Park! Be fast!"

Knuckles hangs up, jumps off his balcony and starts running towards Downtown. He races through the streets, cuts through traffic and pushes past other civilians on the sidewalk. He reaches the park but is out of breath by the time he gets there. He hears M screaming in pain but can't see anyone. He listens closely and follows the sound as it gets louder the deeper he goes into the park.

Finally he spots Enerjak beating M mercilessly in a grass field, so he moves in.

"AJ, stop!" Knuckles shouts

He shoulder-blocks the tall Echidna to knock him away from the downed Armadillo. Enerjak turns his attention to Knuckles and starts throwing powerful punches in his direction.

Knuckles dodges the first few but isn't fast enough to avoid the lightning fast strikes that come next. He puts his hands up to block so Enerjak kicks him in the legs. Knuckles sees a sweep-kick coming so he hops over the attack and boots the teenager in the face as hard as he can. Enerjak falls back, blood trickles down his face and he shouts angrily

"I don't wanna hurt you" Knuckles says "..but I need you to stop fighting. Snap outta this, AJ"

Enerjak stops for a moment upon hearing the name AJ. Knuckles puts his hands up defensively to show he doesn't want to fight, and he approaches the Tall Echidna.

"AJ, it's me. Knuckles. Just be cool and relax"

Before he gets any further, M pulls out his pistol and shoots Enerjak in the arm, enraging the beast.

"M, what the fuck?!"

Enerjak backhands Knuckles and rushes towards M. He gets shot in the body but takes the bullet and kicks the gun out of his hands. He wraps both hands around M's throat and squeezes as hard as he can

Knuckles gets up and runs back to save M when a police helicopter appears above the park and shines a spotlight on Enerjak

" **Release the Officer _Now!_** " a voice calls out on the Choppers' PA system

Enerjak looks up for a moment, then picks up the pistol and fires bullets up at the Chopper

" **Shots fired, shots fired! We need backup at Ox Park!** "

Many more police sirens are heard around the city, all of them making their way to Ox Park.

Enerjak realizes he'll be outnumbered so he releases the Armadillo and takes off running toward the street.

"Wait!" Knuckles shouts

He follows the teenager through the dense park but can't see him through the darkness. Knuckles reaches the street and looks everywhere but Enerjak is gone.

He takes off before police arrive and pin him as a suspect. He'll have to wait for another chance at Enerjak.


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter Eight: Battle For A Soul ACT I_

The trial of Angel and the 2 Disgraced Policemen, Krause & Flynn, begins.

It takes the jury 10 minutes to find the crooked cops guilty of curruption, taking bribes, inappropriate misconduct, accessory to murder and extortion.

They are sentenced to 10 years in Prison, however it's unlikely they will live through the first week.

All charges against Angel, however, are dropped due to Mighty the Armadillo and other key witnesses unable to testify in court and the lack of any solid evidence.

The Black & Red hedgehog leaves the courthouse and is picked up by a White Limousine outside.

Upon hearing Angel walked, Julie goes back to Knuckles' apartment and sits down next to him on his bed.

Amy picks up her bags "I'm sorry this guy keeps winning but, I really have to go, there's something important I have to attend to back home. I really wish I could've done more, guys"

"No, you've helped us do all we can to fight him, Amy. I know a lot of men and women who wouldn't have even dared to take on Angel. Thank you"

The pink hedgehog smiles back "I hope everything works out for you two. Stay in contact, Julie. It'd be great to do something special after all this is over with"

"I definitely will, Amy. Goodbye"

"Bye Knuckles!"

The Echidna waves to Amy on her way out and she closes the door behind her.

Julie lays back on the bed "...we're never gonna beat Angel now that he has all this power. It's just too much, Knuckles"

"Yeah, well I'm still gonna damn well try. A guy like that will just keep taking and taking from this city until there's nothing left, then he'll move on to the next big town and do it all over again..." Knuckles growls "I'll just take him out myself"

"Why? It's not your fight, it's mine. He tricked me into getting him all this power, he used _me_ for this"

Knuckles looks down at her "... I'm doing it because I still love you, whether or not you love or even remember me. I told you, you're the best thing that's happened to me and I'll be damned if Angel takes that away. That's why I'm doing this"

Julie sits up and looks him in the eyes "Knuckles, I- I'm sorry but I don't feel the same about you, I just don't"

"I know you don't, and I'm not asking you to just fall in love with me. But I want you to understand how special you are to me, and Amy, and all our friends back home. Back in the old days you were a big sister to them and you were my best friend. Then all that stopped the day you got taken away... I just want you to know that"

Julie tries to come up with a response but nothing comes to mind. Then her cellphone rings so she checks the caller ID

"It's Angel"

"Put him on speaker phone"

She answers and presses a few buttons as the line connects

"What do you want?" Julie asks

"I just wanted to tell you that your mission is complete, it's time to come in" Angel replies

"Fuck you, Angel, you tried to have me killed three times throughout this whole ordeal. Serena gave me this mission, not you so that means I don't take orders from you. And since you killed her, my relationship with you is over!"

"Ouch. You're hurting my feelings, young one. Please come in so we can talk this out"

Knuckles takes the phone "Tell me where you are so I can hurt more than just your feelings, you pompous-assed hickory stick looking son of a bitch!"

Angel laughs "Right, the buffoon. Hey buffoon. Your little plan to have me locked up in prison for life backfired and now all your friends are leaving you one by one. I bet messing with me was worth all this trouble, huh"

"Right, you made a plan to use everyone to get what you want and give you all this money and power, hurray pal, you're a smart guy. Can we just skip to the part where you threaten me or something and I meet you to settle this"

"I see you're well adept at cliches. Sure, lets play that game. Come to my hotel and we'll negotiate some stuff or whatever it is you think you're gonna accomplish. I'll text the address, but don't bitch out"

Knuckles hangs up and gives Julie her phone back "God, I can't wait to shut his mouth"

"Knux, there's a big chance we're not leaving that hotel alive"

"Course not. But I'll take those chances over nothing at all. Now let's go meet him"

Knuckles unlocks the Green SUV Mighty stole last week and he starts up the engine. Julie sits in the passenger seat and she reads the text Angel sends.

"We're going to the Tainted Inn, a mostly Gothic Hotel on the edge of town"

"I bet there's vampires and shit there"

It's a 45 minute drive from downtown to reach this establishment. The Hotel is a black brick building with red and gold edging around the windows, and solid red wallpaper in the interior. Knuckles locks the SUV and gives the keys to Julie. The guests eye ball them as they walk into the lobby of the Tainted Inn.

Julie walks up to the front desk "We're here to see Angel"

"Ohh, you're the challengers! Yes, Master Angel is waiting for you in the Arena, that's just two floors down" a british receptionist explains

Knuckles says nothing and heads for the elevator. He shoulder bumps past everyone and pushes the DOWN button while Julie catches up to him.

"This place is weird" she says

Knuckles keeps quiet and enters the elevator first, followed by Julie.

"Are you going to say anything?"

Knuckles watches the digital display show which floor they're on and remains silent

Julie lightly holds his left hand and rests her head on his shoulder as the elevator takes them down to the Arena. Knuckles doesn't move, but calms down a little.

The doors open and the couple make their way into the underground arena. It gets packed in the stands as a large crowd shows up to watch the show. Knuckles and Julie are directed to a staircase that leads to a pit with fake sand on the ground.

Angel stands on top of a podium and takes a sip of wine when he spots both Echidnas entering

"Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, but our guests have arrived! Round of applause!"

Everyone in the crowd starts to boo and throw their drinks down at the pit

"Now, now folks. I'm sure you all know Knuckles very well. Some of you may know him as Jonathan as well"

Julie turns to Knuckles "What's he talking about?"

"I've got a past life I want to forget, too"

Angel points to to Julie "..and I think you all know his ex fiancé, miss Julie-Su"

The crowd continues to boo and jeer towards both Echidnas

"Can we get this started or what, King Leopold, I don't have all night" Knuckles calls out

Angel smirks "Very well. As promised, I will make you an offer. Survive the gauntlet and defeat My Enerjak, and Julie is free to go. I will not bother either of you ever again. But lose, and my men will skin you alive. Deal?"

Knuckles stretches out "What are we going by, Street rules, Anything goes?"

"Sure. Anything goes. You either win or you die"

"That's all I needed to fuckin' hear"

Knuckles gives Julie a boost and she jumps off his shoulders high into the air. She grabs onto the railing of Angel's podium and hops over towards him. She grabs the Black & Red hedgehog by his suit collar and she begins punching his face as hard as she can. His body guards rush to him so Julie reaches into his jacket and steals his pistol before the guards throw her off the podium and into the stands.

Meanwhile, an army of Gothic thugs enter the arena pit and surround Knuckles

"Alright, this is a new one. Who's up first" Knuckles challenges

Two thugs rush forward so Knuckles blocks their attack and gets in between them so he can single out one opponent. He headbutts the first thug and throws a painful back-elbow strike to the other, drawing blood instantly. They go down and the rest of the group runs in to jump Knuckles.

He dodges most attacks but a few punches hit hard so he goes in a boxing stance to block his face. The group knocks him to the ground and begin stomping on him on all sides. Knuckles rolls onto his stomach and absorbs the blows as he gets to his feet and starts swinging wildly.

Soon he's knocking out the members of Angel's Flock with ease. They either go down or run away from the enraged Echidna.

"Yeah?! What else you got?! Is that it?! Come on!" Knuckles shouts

Angel gets helped to his feet and spits out blood "Bring me that bitch!"

Julie makes her way through the crowd and up onto the third floor of the stands. Some audience members try to stop her but she punches them in the face as she climbs the stairs. Eventually she gets underneath the PA system speakers and she uses the wall to help her climb on top of them.

"What is she doing" Angel says as he watches her from the podium

While Knuckles fights on the ground, Julie climbs high above the pit and pulls out Angel's pistol she stole. She fires at the spot lights, causing sparks to fly out and land on the curtains below. The sparks cause the fabric to catch fire and it spreads fast.

The crowd starts to panic and scream in terror as the fire gets bigger and bigger. Smoke fills the arena and everyone rushes out

"Wait, don't go! The Echidnas' aren't dead yet!" Angel pleads

Guards make their way to Julie's vantage point so she grabs a rope connected to the lace curtains and she swings off the PA speakers. She shouts in excitement as she swings around the entire arena in circles on her way down to the floor.

Knuckles spin kicks the final thug and knocks him out just as Julie lands on the ground beside him

The fire gets bigger behind Angel and all his paying audience members have left the arena.

"Well, I took out your gauntlet, Angie. Where's Enerjak? Lets get this going!" Knuckles falls out

Angel growls angrily and grabs his body guards' pistol. He aims at Knuckles and shoots him in the chest so Julie drags him out of view.

"No, no!" She says as she tries to stop the bleeding

Knuckles coughs up blood and leans against a retaining wall

Angel pulls out a Chaos Emerald and shouts a few words in an unknown language.

Enerjak breaks through a wall and enters the arena pit

"Kill this crackerjack son of a bitch and I'll give you another Emerald, Jak!" Angel shouts

The Beast howls loudly and starts walking towards Knuckles angrily

"Knux, you can't do this, you'll bleed out before you beat him!"

"So help me beat him. I can't do it without you"

Julie looks at Knuckles for a moment, then he leans in and kisses her quickly. She's taken by surprise but embraces him for the first time, then they stand up and face The Beast together.


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter Nine: Battle For A Soul ACT II_

The flames in the arena spread to the luxury boxes above the pit and the smoke starts to suffocate everyone inside. Angel sends his monster to beat Knuckles down but Julie won't let that happen.

Enerjak runs toward the couple, dodges Julie's punches and goes after the weakened Knuckles. He strikes to the body, then side of the head, and another body shot that causes Knux to spit out blood.

"Get off of him!" Julie shouts

She jumps on the beasts' back and presses down hard on his collar bone with a pressure point attack. Enerjak growls in pain, grabs Julie by the sweater and flips her off his back.

Knuckles hits him with a running spear that knocks Enerjak onto his back. He gets on top and punches the beast as hard as he can, even drawing blood with the shots. Enerjak catches his fist and overpowers Knuckles off of him. They stand up and Enerjak rushes in to attack but Knuckles' boxing training helps him avoid each strike effectively.

He ducks and dodges each punch Enerjak throws and when he finds the right opening, launches powerful counter punches that hit their target. Enerjak groans in pain, he's not used to getting hit back from his opponents this hard.

Knuckles goes for the knock out blow when Angel shoots him in the leg, dropping him to one knee

"Now, get that son of a bitch!" Angel shouts

Enerjak shakes off the dizziness and grabs Knuckles' throat. He uses his left hand to punch Knux and drags him toward the flames.

Julie looks around the pit and sees the gun she stole from Angel, 20 feet away. She makes a run for it, while the Black & Red hedgehog aims at her as she moves. He misses every time and Julie's able to grab the gun. She points up and fires 5 quick shots, 2 striking Angel in the arm.

"AHH! FUCK!"

He drops his gun and ducks down behind the podium as Julie makes her way up. She quickly climbs up to the podium and sees Angel also dropped a Chaos Emerald

Enerjak drags Knuckles to the flames and picks him up. He wants to shove him face first into the fire

Knuckles tries to fight out of Enerjak's grip but the beast is too strong. Knuckles plunges his fists into the fire and presses them against the wall behind them. He growls in pain then uses all his strength to push off the wall, knocking both Echidnas backwards.

Julie picks up the Emerald "AJ!"

The Beast looks up

"You want this? Come get it!"

Enerjak gets to his feet and turns his back to Knuckles, Which gives him a chance to recover for a few seconds, then he jumps to his feet as well.

"Hey!" Knuckles shouts

Enerjak turns around and gets blasted by Knuckles' fists, his Spiked Gloves now on fire and blistering hot. Knuckles connects with the most technical and powerful punches he's ever thrown. Enerjak's face turns charred black from every strike.

Knuckles ends off the combo with one last left hook that knocks the beast out.

Both Echidnas fall to the ground and Julie runs over to them. She quickly pulls Knuckles' Spiked Gloves off his hands and checks his pulse.

Angel takes this opportunity to take off towards the exit.

Julie decides to help Knuckles and AJ instead of going after Angel.

The next morning is very chilly and Knuckles shivers, then he wakes up. He's lying on a rectangular concrete pillar in a large room. The sun is just now starting to come up, letting Knuckles know it's early morning, around 5:30 or 6.

He looks to the concrete pillar beside him and stares at AJ.

The teenager has lost some muscle mass and his dreadlocks are shorter, but he stays as tall as he was when he transformed into Enerjak.

Knuckles checks his body for injuries, his fists are wrapped with beige handwraps after his hands were set on fire. The bullets in his chest and legs were dug out and the wounds have been stitched closed. He feels his face for any cuts or bruises, then winches in pain as a cut above his left eye is pressed.

He sits up and tries to get off the concrete pillar when Julie and an elderly doctor enter the room

"Knux, you should stay in bed" She says

"If this is s bed, it's not comfortable at all, my back is sore from laying on it"

Julie laughs and kisses him as she sits down next to him.

"Where are we?"

"Angel Island"

"Holy shit, how'd you get us out of that burning building and all the way out here?" Knuckles asks

"I called in a favor"

Vector and Espio enter the room

"What's up, brother, you doing okay? You look a lot better than you did when we came to pick you up last night, I'll tell ya that" Vector laughs

Knuckles looks at Julie "You- you called them? Ah, man!.."

"What? They saved your life by bringing you here before you died!"

"Yes, but now they're gonna use every opportunity to say We saved your life, you owe us one!"

Vector puts his arm around Knuckles and Julie "Don't worry about it, man. We know you'd do the same for us. Don't sweat it... but you do owe us one"

"Yep, see? There it is"

"You're welcome"

Espio walks up and quietly shakes Knuckles' hand, then everyone turns to AJ

"So, doc... what's the diagnosis?"

"We've managed to extract the Enerjak Spell from him, but due to the amount of time that's passed, along with with all the injuries the spell healed, your friend will more than likely suffer from some side effects" The Doctor explains

"How bad are these side effects?" Julie asks

"Some may be more drastic than others, like memory loss, increased pain tolerance and mild mood swings"

"So basically, he'll be like a bitchy ex girlfriend" Vector jokes

Everyone turns to him "Dude! Not cool"

"It was a joke, geez! Can't joke about nothing these days"

AJ sits up "No. The only one who'll suffer is you, Knuckles"

"Me? Why?! Oh, right I beat the shit out of you last night"

"It's not just that. I trusted you to with my life and you let him take me. He made me suffer through everything! You don't know what it's like being trapped inside a beast like that!"

Knuckles looks him in the eye "Yeah, I do. I was Enerjak for awhile, I did some shitty things, but my friends saved me and I got over it! Now you got the choice to either be a man and move on, or whine and complain about it for the rest of your life, kid"

"I choose payback. You and I both know I had you beat in that arena til your girlfriend saved your ass. I can beat you, Knuckles. And I don't need Enerjak to do it" AJ says

"So, that's what this is about huh? Jesus, you're an idiot!" Knuckles growls

"We'll see who the idiot is next time"

"Yeah? What's wrong with right now?"

AJ glares at Knuckles and the room stays in an awkward silence for a moment

The teenager stands up "I'll see you out there, Jonathan"

AJ leaves the healing room and makes his way back to Metropolis.

Vector looks at Knuckles "Teenagers these days, eh.."

"Forget him, what happened to Angel?"

"He ran out of the arena and I stayed with you guys, so.. he could be anywhere" Julie says

"Actually, we've been tracking him all night and it seems he's stopped in Silver Valley, more specifically the Vace Beach area" Vector says

"Yeah, we're going after him and wanted to know if you guys wanted to come along" Espio says

Knuckles turns to Julie "What do you think?"

She sighs "Honestly, I'm tired to chasing this guy around. I think I'm going to stay here on the Island. I need to cleanse myself of Angel and Serena. Maybe I start remembering things, who knows"

She holds Knuckles' hand and he smiles "Then I guess I'm sticking around, too"

Vector nods in approval "Alright then. We'll leave you two cuties in peace. C'mon, Espio"

The Chameleon gives a salute wave to the couple and leaves the temple with his partner.

Knuckles turns to Julie "So, what do you wanna do first?"

"I think I wanna find a private room away from everyone and you can tell me all about everything I've missed out on for all these years" She says

"Oh, you wanna talk for a few hours?"

Julie smiles, grabs his hand and leads him out of the temple

"Let's go find a quiet place"

"...ohhh. Yeah, lets go"

 **THE END**


	10. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

8 DAYS AGO

Local authorities arrive to a crater site in the desert outside of Metropolis. They heard there was a shootout here not long ago so they're here to investigate the scene. They walk down the sand dunes and stumble upon 1 dead body.

The leading officer grabs his walkie talkie "Yeah, this is X 13, be advised; 1 body on scene. Male, k-9, late 20's to early 30's. Victim's arms and legs are bound, face covered with a cloth bag. Fatally shot in the right-side temple"

The second officer walks over to the body and checks his tags

"Sleuth Dogg. 27, expired drivers license. Lived in Vace Beach but our records show he rented an apartment in Westvalley"

"I know this guy. Convicted killer for hire. Used to run with Scourge, Simian and Lynx. Looks like business finally caught up to him"

"Damn. Took him out here and executed him. Hey, I heard Dogg couldn't die or something"

"Well, these guys must've used one hell of a cannon to do the job. C'mon, lets go survey the boarder, let those Sanitary guys clean this up and tag him at the Morgue"

FEATHERLYNN MORGUE

1 HOUR LATER

The body is placed on a metal gurney and a sanitary worker cleans the dried blood off of Dogg's face.

Another worker sits at a computer typing in Dogg's information into a death certificate template.

The worker behind the computer pulls out his phone and turns on a Radio App

"..HERE WHERE WE PLAY THE NEWEST ROCK MUSIC-"

"Hey, ain't playing music in here against the rules?" The cleaner asks

"Ah, screw the rules, it's boring in here"

"Yeah, I guess so. Man, this guy's huge. $50 bucks says he was on steroids, Pat"

"They said this guy was a hitman or something, I doubt he took steroids, Barry"

"Then this guy was a fitness nut or something 'cause he's jacked, or at least, he was"

"Look at this, his file doesn't list any family whatsoever. No emergency contacts, work info - nothing. He must've been one lonely sucker"

The worker finishes typing up a death certificate and enters it into the database. Sleuth Dogg is officially declared dead.

The cleaner zips up the body bag and moves the gurney towards the next room. A finger from inside the bag pulls the zipper open, freaking out the cleaner

Dogg sits up and takes deep breaths as he looks around. The worker falls to the floor petrified

"You... what is this, where am I?"

"Uh- Featherlynn Morgue"

"Holy fuck..."

Dogg gets out of the body bag and stands on the floor. His legs are weak from losing so much blood so he takes his time walking.

The worker on the computer enters the hallway "Hey Barry, I'm heading out for lunch-"

"Don't you say a word!" Dogg orders

The worker complies and both watch as Dogg walks to the door

"You already type up my death certificate?"

"Y-yes but I can-"

"Good. Don't take it down from the database. You tell your superiors someone came here to pick up my body"

Both workers nod and Dogg makes his way through the rest of the building. He picks up a white sheet from a laundry basket and covers his head with it as he walks out into the streets.

It's around 8:45 PM when he reaches his apartment building.

Dogg knocks on the building managers' door

"Mr. Dogg? I heard you were uh-"

"Dead, yeah, everyone did. Listen, I lost my apartment key, could you let me in?"

The manager walks with Dogg to his door and he uses a master key to open the door. Dogg tells him to wait and he grabs a big stack of cash

"Here, Joey. Please, I don't want any cops coming to my door, man. I've had a pretty shitty week. I just wanna rest" Dogg says

Joey takes the money "You got it, Mr. Dogg. Nobody's gonna come knockin"

The Hitman rests for the first day, orders a ton of healthy food the second, and finally gets back on his feet the third. He clears a spot in the living room so he can practise his fighting techniques. He trains for hours and hours on end, growing angrier as he pieces together the events of the past week.

Dogg looks at himself in the mirror and glances at the giant gash on his temple, a scar from being shot in the head. He smashes the window and starts packing some luggage for the road.

The assassin hops on a plane, heads back to his home town Vace Beach and rents an entire warehouse near the industrial area.

It takes him 30 minutes to find Vector driving around town in an unmarked police car.

A sports car slams into the side of Vector's car and it flips onto it's roof. The Crocodile groans in pain as he unclips his seat belt and falls onto the ground.

Dogg grabs him by the collar and looks him in the eyes

"You tell Knuckles and AJ to get down here. You tell 'em it's time to finish what they started. I'm gonna end those Echidna sacks of shit for good, so they don't ruin anyone else's lives ever again"

Dogg releases Vector and he disappears into a crowd of onlookers.

Vector opens his phone and dials a number "...Knux?.. Sleuth Dogg wants a word with you. He says he's gonna end you.."

 **TO BE CONTINUED**


End file.
